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Review & Installation Video

Review & Install Video

Hey guys, Stephanie with americanmuscle.com here with my review of the C&L cold air intake available for the 2015 and up V6 Mustang. This C&L cold air intake is going to be for the S550 V6 owners out there who are looking for a closed element cold air intake that also keeps the direct cold air feed that Ford has created from factory. A cold air intake is normally one of the first mods that many Mustang owners go to, but there are many different types of cold air intakes on the market. The C&L right here is an option that brings benefits besides just pure number gains to the table without requiring a tune. Speaking of gains, let's break the numbers down first before getting into the intake.
We already ran a baseline run and got some numbers in the book, so we're going to run the car again with the C&L installed. Now we did pair a 93 octane Bama Performance tune with the intake even though the intake does not require a tune. But we wanted to see the full power potential that the intake has. A cold air intake by itself will only net a few horsepower at the end of the day, and we're talking single digits here. So even if an aftermarket intake does not necessarily require a tune, we always recommend a tune if you're looking for any gains or improvements from your Mustang.
Our baseline run with our 2015 V6 gave us numbers of 241 horsepower and 235 foot-pounds of torque at the rear wheels. With the C&L intake and the 93 octane Bama Performance tune, the car made 260 horsepower and 250 foot-pounds of torque making for a peak gain of 19 horsepower and 15 foot-pounds of torque. Now keep in mind that we did pair the intake with a tune, so a lot of these gains can definitely be attributed to that tune. Peak gains are always nice to know, but the real thing I look for is differences throughout the curve or in your driving RPMs, which is where you're actually going to notice performance gains when you're driving. And throughout the curve, we're seeing gains of 22 horsepower in the 6100 RPM range and 22 foot-pounds of torque right in the 3600 RPM range.
Having this low end torque gain is something that you're actually going to feel as you're going through the gears. You'll get up to speed faster and you'll go through the gears a lot faster too. So overall what we've seen from this intake on the Dyno here is some of the lowest intake air temps out of the aftermarket cold air intakes for the V6. And that can be attributed to the sealed air box, which I'll talk about in a minute. We've also seen that it really makes power up top where the factory air intake system and filter become restrictive.
Like I said before, you're only going to see gains of two to three horsepower without a tune, but just keep in mind that the more you mod your car, the more restrictive the factory air intake will become. Now like I just said, also keep in mind that a lot of the gains that we're seeing are due to the tune that we paired with the intake. If we take a closer look at the C&L itself, it's first off a popular intake on the site and one that's going to come in at the top of the line in regards to price at right around $400, but also in quality and fitment as well. This intake has one of the best fit and finishes that I've seen for the S550 V6. And all of C&L's products are built and tested in the USA, which is just something that I like to point out.
But looking at the specifics here, this does include a reusable filter that you can easily wash and re-oil when it gets a little dirty, and it's a pretty good sized air filter too. I would definitely say that the air filter is on the bigger side of the filters and the intake piping is also larger than piping that I've seen for aftermarket S550 cold air intakes. The intake also has a rotomolded plastic construction throughout, including the intake tube, which will give smooth air delivery to the engine. One of the big things that I wanted to point out with this intake though, is the housing here. First of all, it's enclosed, which you're only going to see from the other option of AIRAID right now. It has a plexiglass lid that's removable, so you can get to the filter easily or see without having to take the air box apart.
The enclosed air box is going to protect the filter from elements within the engine compartment as well as help keep warm air from inside the compartment from being used by the engine. And like I mentioned before, this technique works. We saw some of the lowest intake air temps on the Dyno with this intake. This leads me to the other cool thing about the housing and that's that it taps into the factory cold air duct, which brings cool air in from the grille instead of using warm engine compartment air. This is a really nice feature in my opinion and it gives this intake a benefit that you don't see from many other aftermarket intakes for the S550 V6s.
And like I mentioned earlier, this particular intake does not require a tune, which means that you can just bolt it on and go if you want to. But if you're looking for gains and improvements in driveability, then just know that any improvements that you'll see from the intake can be greatly amplified by running a tune just as a side note. When it comes to price, this is an intake that's at the top of the line when it comes to both fit and finish and design. It provides good power gains when paired with a tune, it's an enclosed air box style and it utilizes the cold air feed from outside of the car. With all of this being said, this intake is one of the most expensive that's available and it costs between $350 and $400.
As for the install, it's nothing too difficult and the intake will come with all of the items that you'll need including clamps, couplers and hardware. All that you really need to complete the install is a 10 mil, a flat head for the plastic pins and some pliers to remove the hose clamps. This is probably one of the easier mods that you can tackle with your new Mustang and it'll probably take about a half hour to an hour tops, and I'm going to call it a one out of three wrenches on our scale. At the start of the install, disconnect the breather hoses from the inlet tube. Remove the 10 millimeter bolt on the air box that holds it to the inner fender and detach the air box from the lower inlet tube on the side of the rad as you take out the air box.
Loosen the clamps on the inlet tube at the throttle body and the air box and then remove the inlet tube. Then you're going to want to ready your new air box by installing the filter adapter. Next, install the aluminum fittings for the air hoses into the intake tube. Then you're ready to install the air box into the car starting with the air duct sliding into the factory location, and reinstall the factory bolt to hold it down. Once the air box is in and bolted down, slide the coupler onto the adapter on the air box.
Then slide the other coupler onto the throttle body. Just make sure that you can get to all of the clamps to tighten them down, but leave everything loose for now. Install the inlet tube onto the coupler on the throttle body and then onto the air filter coupler. Tighten down the clamps so everything is tight and connect the vacuum hoses to the inlet tube. All that's left then is just the filter itself, which just drops in. And tighten up the clamp, and then install the air box and tighten it down.
Wrapping things up here, I think the C&L intake is a well built intake that works with an enclosed air box and taps into the cold air duct that Ford has provided for the intake. It fits well and has a decent sized reusable filter and does not require a tune. You can check this intake out more online for yourself, and for all things Mustang, keep it right here at americanmuscle.com.

Maximum Airflow For More Power. Improve the horsepower, torque and fuel efficiency of your S550 3.7L V6 Mustang by replacing the restrictive factory air box and paper filter element with a C&L Performance high flow intake tube and filter assembly to increase air flow. C&L intakes are dyno tuned and tested for maximum performance and efficiency.

No Tune Required. This C&L Performance Cold Air Intake is designed to improve the performance of your 3.7L V6 powered Pony without the need of reprogramming your Mustang computer. By utilizing state of the art computer-aided designs this C&L Intake will increase power using the factory tune.

Rechargeable High Flow Filter. Included with your C&L Cold Air Kit is a high-flow, reusable, rechargeable filter. That means no more spending money on OEM paper filters that waste money and horsepower. Just clean your C&L filter, re-oil it, and put it back on to save money and enjoy better performance in one shot.

Easy Installation. C&L Cold Air Intake kits are designed to install with just basic hand tools. No extra modifications or special tools are required for an easy 1 hour installation. All parts and instructions are included.

CARB Certified. Best of all, this Mustang C&L Cold Air Intake Kit is 50-state smog legal under Carb EO# D-776.

Application. This C&L Performance Cold Air Intake System is specifically designed to fit the 2015-2017 Mustangs equipped with the 3.7L Ti-VCT V6 engine.

cant seem to find instructions on how to clean the filter. any heads up on how to do it?

aye1ennn

The C&L Cold Air Intake's filter can be cleaned running the filter under warm water to wash off the debris, and then re-oiled with an air filter oil after the filter has completely air dried.
For a deeper clean, we would highly recommend using an air filter cleaner, which is usually offered at a local auto-parts store as a bundle for a cleaner and oil. Depending on the manufacture, the instructions may vary, however, as general rule of thumb for cleaning, would be as follows:
1. Spray the filter with a cleanser from a recharging or cleaning kit. Allow it to soak for 10 minutes (don’t allow the cleanser to dry on the filter).
2. Rinse the cleaning solution off with low-pressure water. Move the filter up and down in the water stream to loosen and remove all debris.Gently shake off any excess water and allow the air filter to dry naturally.
3. Wait until the air filter is completely dry to apply oil.Using the filter oil from your cleaning kit, apply the oil all over the filter. Wipe up any extra oil and let it sit to absorb. (The oil goes a long way, so less is more).

C L Cold Air Intake or roush cold air intake? which gives you a louder sound

TevinG

Both the C&L and the Roush intakes are top of the line intakes. However both of which will not really increase the sound of your car. You will be able to hear a small swoosh sound when getting on the gas from extra air coming into your motor which will be about the same sound fo any intake.

This was a great addition to my mustang. I could feel a difference right away but after a few days the car learned and the tune set in then I could really feel it. I have shaved another.2 seconds of my 0-60.
Fit was was snug as I have a throttle body spacer but with a little wiggle it went on no issues. Other than the snug fit it was super easy to install.

Great product with an easy install even for someone like me who has never even looked under the hood or turned a wrench in his life. Instructions provided were simple and easy to follow. Once you start it up you can hear the difference and feel it as well. You can hear a more aggressive tone under the hood once you get up over 4500 rpm. However the performance I haven't actually measured and I have not tuned the car either but I noticed a slight increase in acceleration. Overall a great part that looks phenomenal under the hood with a super easy install.

I got some gains more in the higher rpm range, not much noticeable low end torque. I didn't do a tune so it's not as noticeable it could be, I will be tuning after I have full bolt ons. All in all a good mod to add, even better once you have a tune.

Really noticed a diffenerce in acceleration after warming you car few times. However, when I was installing the CAI, one of the hose that you plug in into is kinda lose, that got me concerned a little, but after a few runs, its tight, overall, it definitly deserves a five star!

We got this for my daughter's 2015 V6 Mustang. Inasmuch as she races that car at Bandimere Speedway (an NHRA Drag Strip) in Morrison, CO, we're waiting to see how it effects her ¼ mile performance. However, she's already indicated she's seen and felt a difference in her car's performance.
We race on Friday so we'll have some hard data then.

This Cold Air Intake was fairly easy to install. The only problem I had was that the coupler that connects the CAI to the throttle body was too tight on the throttle body side. I ended up having to file the rubber down. Other than that the rest of the install went smoothly. I have not been able to notice any power gains (I don't have a tune), although the intake temps are 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit lower. My exhaust does sound different. It added a bit of rasp around 3000-4000rpm and overall sounds a bit deeper. Overall, I do like the sound additions that the CAI has brought.

I am obsessed with this filter. I love that a tune is optional, because I don't need it quite yet. However, even without a tune I notice a big difference in the acceleration and power that the filter gives the engine! Very easy to install.

This part is awesome! I do not have a tune on my car, but when you get on the gas, you can feel the difference and hear it. Makes my V6 with a Borla S-type catback sound even more angry! One issue I did have with this part is that one of the nuts on the CAI case had stripped threads, causing one of the screws holding the cover on to not tighten and to get stuck. So I ended up having to rip that nut out of the case and go to the hardware store to get a new one that I glued into that hole so the screw would hold. I also used double sided tape to have the plastic and metal cover together so it is one piece since it rattles a lot, but overall very happy and definitely recommend!

So I ordered this part a week ago from now I barely installed it yesterday and I honestly didn't expect a whole lot but....DAMMMM THE HP GAINS AND THROTTLE RESPONSE IS VERY NOTICEABLE!!!!!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GREAT AIR INTAKE BEST ONE SO FAR YOUR MONEY WILL BE SPENT VERY WELL ON THIS PRODUCT!!!!!

C&L Cold Air Intake (15-17 V6)

Word on The Street

This is my 2nd order from American Muscle and both times have been great. My orders have shipped quickly, everything has been packaged to keep it from damage, and everything has been in great condition. In my area I haven't been able to find a better price from local shops for the exact same items, even when you include the cost of shipping. Thanks for the great service!

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I have loved mustangs since I was a kid and have wanted one my entire life. My first mustang was bought more on a whim…I was looking around for one when I just happened to spot my now ‘05 Legend Lime on the lot. I decided to go right in and buy it and have grown quite fond of the color over the year...